When Deep Space Nine was new, I was still working on Next Generation. I recall feeling this strong sense of sibling rivalry (entirely my issue, never created or encouraged by anyone else) that got in between me and my ability to watch the show, and give it the chance it deserved. Also, by 1993, I was 21 and feeling like it was time for me to get a break away from Trek and its emotional baggage. Over the years, I’ve wondered what, exactly, I missed, but I never made it a priority to find out.
With the passing my my friend, Aron, last week, I thought that I could remember and honor him by finally watching the series he gave so many years of his life and career to.
I know that DS9 is uneven, especially in its early seasons, just like we were, and I didn’t want to invest time into whatever their version of Angel One or Justice was (or, the gods help us all, Shades of Grey). Luckily for me, my friend, Max Temkin, has written a guide to watching the best of TNG in like 40 hours, and a similar guide to watching DS9 in like 80 hours (because, Max says, there are just too many good episodes of DS9 out there to get it down to 40).
So I dug up his guide, and read it. I took note of the context he thinks we should have before we start watching the show, including its time of production, its relationship to TNG, and some details about the characters that are useful to know before we really meet them.
Max tells us, “Deep Space Nine … is chock full of full, flawed characters with world views more diverse than their forehead prostheses.”
After we have that information and perspective, he picks out the episodes he feels are the best from each season, not just in terms of enjoyment (there are plenty of entertaining episodes of TOS that don’t exactly advance the character arcs, such as they were in 1966, like Arena, for instance) but as they relate to the things he feels makes DS9 the best of all the Star Treks: the Cardassians and their relationship to Bajor and the Federation, the Dominion, the character arcs that made Kira and Sisko so memorable and beloved by fans for thirty years.
I know it makes for better drama and a more interesting story if I say I was skeptical going into it, but I wasn’t. I was purely excited. I trust Max, and I trust the legions of DS9 fans who love it for what I’ve come to know this week are extremely good reasons.
Max’s guide tells us to watch the following episodes from S01: The first four, including the two-part pilot, which has the distinction of being the only truly good Trek pilot in the history of the series. Episodes 11, 13, 19, and 20.
I binged the first four on Netflix. This is significant because I *hate* binging shows. I prefer to let shows sit for at least a day between episodes, so I can digest and reflect upon what I watched. I believe that when we binge shows, we trade enjoying a meal for not being hungry any more … and yet. I loved the characters so much, I loved the look of the show, the tone of the show, and the stories they told in those four hours so much, I couldn’t stop watching.
Last night, I watched Episode 11, The Nagus. It’s the introduction of a character which could have just been broad and silly comic relief, but which I understand becomes a beloved part of the show. I’ve never been a big Ferengi fan; if you’ve read Memories of the Future you know why: they were so comical and broad in TNG, all I got out of them was buffoonish misogyny. There’s still some of that in the writing (it’s still the first season, and the writers haven’t let Quark and Rom and Nog grow into who they will become), but the actors pull the most interesting and complex nuances out of the scripts, to make their characters so compelling, I wanted to dive head first into the rest of the series, just to get to know them.
I told Anne that I was watching Deep Space Nine for the first time, which surprised her. I love Star Trek so much, she thought I would have watched it already. I told her how I had all this emotional baggage that got in between me and watching the show, but the therapeutic, emotional work I’ve done the past year has let me heal a lot of stuff, and stop carrying around that emotional baggage. So watching Deep Space Nine is extra special to me, because it lets me watch Star Trek, and it lets me LOVE Star Trek, in a way that I hadn’t been able to for essentially my entire adult life.
I love TNG, and I love my cast. They are my real family, and I will cherish the memories I have from working with them. And that means I can’t just watch TNG the way a fan does, without any complicated memories related to, you know, MAKING the show.
But I can watch Deep Space Nine and just see characters. Yeah, I know some of the actors a little bit, but for some reason, I can compartmentalize this time around. And that’s a wonderful revelation and a wonderful gift, for me.
Aron’s performance is sensational, by the way. But if you watched DS9, you already know that.
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DS9 is hands-down my favorite Star Trek show (though I do have a special place in my heart for TNG, since that’s the one I grew up watching with my dad every week). A friend in college introduced it to me, and I was hooked instantly. Years later I was married and my husband and I had just moved to a new town where I didn’t know anyone. It was my first day alone in our new place while he was at work, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I put on the pilot episode of DS9 for some comfort, and as soon as the theme music started I burst into loud, ugly crying. It was so cathartic.
Wow. A friend just watched it for the first time too – I was shocked he hadn’t seen it… and EXCITED for him as well. Enjoy!
DS9 is a weird one for me. But I do hope The Magnificent Ferengi and anything involving Garek is on that list. Have fun watching. 🙂
DS9 is the best Star Trek series by far but yet it would have never gotten that chance had it not been for the wonderful story telling of TNG.
Sisko is my favorite captain and when Worf joined the show,it really sparkled. I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on series going forward.
After watching What we left behind and knowing the shocking news that Aron passed, I have started my fourth tour of the promenade. Amazing show, so Star Trek but so close also to how I think living in an imperfecr alpha cuadrant could be. Love it.
Glad you further forward on your journey Wil and you have the distance and perspective to able to enjoy DS9.
DS9 really fleshed out the Ferengi, and Nog was a great character among them. So sorry to hear about Aron – he made that role something special.
I hope you watch ‘Duet’. It remains one of my favourite Star Trek episodes. ‘Necessary Evil’ is another.
Let me second this: ‘Duet’ has what I consider one of the moving moments in any Star Trek episode EVER. Harris Yulin’s performance as Marritza and his scenes with Kira have a power and emotional heft to them that sits wtih me to this day. I rewatched it that scene again recently and it still hits like a HAMMER. DS9 may have sometimes faltered, but when it succeeded, it was golden. To skip it would be a loss, IMHO.
I just saw Duet again the other day…
That scene may be Nana Visitor’s best moment in the entire series.
She knew JUST how to deliver that line: Start with rage and indignation over an act of pure hate…and cap it with quiet despair.
A week earlier she probably would have agreed with Marritza’s killer…
A month earlier she would have said so publicly…
A year earlier, she would have killed him herself…
All that hit her in a single moment.
It was magnificent, and I choke up every time I see it.
(Conversely, for a wonderful Kira moment that will make you stand up and cheer: See her first kiss with Odo in His Way❤️)
Do yourself a favor and watch the whole thing. Don’t restrict yourself to somebody’s opinion of what the best or most essential episodes of the show is. Especially since you already love the characters so much. Don’t cheat yourself of spending as much time as possible with them.
For the record, the opinions that the first few seasona of DS9 are uneven are wildly overstated. They don’t approach the heights of the later seasons, it’s true, but they are actually nowhere near as bad as the bumps of early TNG. You can’t even compare. (And I say this as someone who loves TNG foremost as not inly his favorite Trek, but favorite television show of all time). DS9’ ealy seasons, for all their typical growing pains of a new show, is actually the most consistent Trek throughout its run.
Whatever you choose, I’m glad you are warching. Have fun!!!!!
I whole heartedly agree!
Agreed with this post wholeheartedly.
As far as I’m concerned, there really weren’t any outright bad episodes during DS9 season one, none that are total stinkers like first season TNG’s “Naked Now” or “Code of Honor.” (I even enjoyed “Move Along Home,” because it gave Quark some depth of character, and showed he wasn’t just your average Ferengi, and “If Wishes Were Horses,” because of the interaction between Sisko and “Buck Bokai.”) At their absolute worst, DS9 season one episodes were simply average Trek, and there’s nothing bad in my book about an average Trek episode.
“If Wishes Were Horses” was a bit silly in concept…
But the one really neat thing they did with that was have Bashir concoct a “Fantasy Dax”…it made him re-evaluate a few things, and maybe face a part of himself he wasn’t incredibly proud of…
Next to Nog, Bashir may be the character that evolved the most from what he was at the start of the series, and I think this was an important point in his growth.
I watch DS9 almost daily now (it’s downloadable on Netflix, and I don’t have mobile data or private wifi access…and I’m all but done with actual television).
I admit, most of my favorites are in Seasons 3 through 7.
Yearly download limits eventually had me returning to the first two Seasons, and there is indeed a lot of overlooked gems there (and yes, some crap…but I’ve never seen ANY TV show with a perfect season…nobody ever bats 1000😉).
Also, you may find yourself skipping alot of Aaron’s work inadvertently by skipping episodes.
I too watched DS9 for the first time this year. TNG will always have a special place in my heart but from top to bottom, I think DS9 might be the best of all the Treks.
Oh wow. So I’m a big, big Star Trek fan, but when DS9 was “live”, I was too young to appreciate it and/or keep up with it. TOS, TNG, Voyager were fine, being episodic and more interesting to a kid my age. And I darn near wore out my VHS copies of ST:I-VI.
But I’ve always heard how good DS9 is, and I wanted to watch through it, and so my wife and I started watching through it a few weeks ago. I find it to be, for lack of a better term, super neat that I’m watching through a Star Trek show at the same time as Wil Wheaton. The only difference is that we’re watching every episode, for better or worse. We’re on the 3rd episode of Season 2 right now.
Happy watching Wil! I hope it turns out good, for both of us.
You might be interested in looking this up, especially as a recap for the episodes you are skipping.
Seven years ago, when the Onion AVClub was still reviewing older shows (and before they were bought out and messed up their comment system), Zack Handlen covered all the DS9 episodes as a first time watcher. It allowed many of us who loved the show when it first aired to see the show with fresh eyes. If you have the time (ha!), it is worth reading as you are watching. (Obviously, only read after you have watched an episode or already skipped it. And unfortunately, the archive system removed the letter grades from the reviews, so you won’t have a simple way to know how well his review matches the guide you are using.)
Just as we love you for all of the facets of your life that you’ve allowed us to see,. The thing I loved about DS9 was the theatre and drama (meaning: not comedy) that I waited for week after week. I like a show that is cohesive, not episodic, and DSP really worked for me. I’m glad you are finally able to watch it.
I’m kinda jealous because there is only one first time. But I have a few favorite episodes, but I think my favorite (Is season 4 ep. 3: “The Visitor”. Aron Eisenberg’s Nog shows up, too. I hope it’s on your list.
That episode is the best of the series
I’d argue that The Visitor is the best episode of any ST series. (I’m not trying to be negative about the other series – there are some fantastic episodes – but The Visitor is just so damned good.)
Given some thought, I think I agree.
It is the only episode across the ST board that had me glued to the screen, in tears. And when it was over, I immediately went online to see what others might’ve thought.
Oh! I am so excited for you!
TNG was “my” Trek — I grew up on it, and actually had a similar experience where I couldn’t get into DS9 because I resented it taking over for the show I loved so much. I finally watched it all the way through in my mid-20s, which was, I think, the right time for me. It’s a lovely and excellent show, which traverses ground other Treks don’t, because of its particular character and cast. Its approach to spiritualism and religion are fascinating — at once atheistic, nuanced, intimate and compassionate.
What a treat to be watching it through for the first time!!
It’s a great series, with a very different dynamic than TNG. Really adds to the culture and diversity of the trek universe.
I will be interested in your thoughts on the Dominion. I’m a big VOY fan, and always hoped you’d pop up there somewhere as a Traveller.
I love Voyager! I really just started getting into star trek the last few years. So I never got to watch them when they came out. Ds9 is great but I do like Trek being Trek and not Star Wars. That’s actually why I like the 1 and 2 seasons the best! It’s really just a matter of personal opinions. I never follow what critics like. I usually like the opposite lol.
DS9 is my favourite Star Trek adaptation it is hard not to fall in love with the characters. Nog is by far my favourite character, watching the development of his character was brilliant, both the writing and Aron’s fantastic acting.
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts once a certain TNG character becomes a DS9 character… 😉
Just wait till you get to “It’s only a Paper Moon”.
Aron gives a superb performance; an extremely candid and earnest depiction of PTSD and the ways it can silently and subtly affect not only the sufferer, but the ones who love and are loved by him as well.
It was his greatest performance in the series (I personally think, anyways), one of DS9’s best episodes, and one of the best episodes of Trek in general.
It really showed how much talent he had as an actor, and its a damn shame he is no longer with us.
The world is a smaller, darker place now.
You are in for one helluva treat; such an incredible series and Nog has one of the most incredible arcs of any character
I binged all episodes this past Spring (minus two episodes that I skipped as they seemed super tedious). I hadn’t really watched more than a handful of episodes when they came out as I was finding it to be too much of a soap opera and not enough about exploration (other than putting around in the Gamma Quadrant). I kinda felt that way this time around as well. It was by seasons 3 and 4 that I really started “getting it.” Didn’t care for the series finale but seasons 6 and 7 were fantastic. Favourite quote (season 7), Damar to Weyoun, “Maybe you should talk to Worf again laughing“
Welcome to the Club! LOL!
DS9 has been one of my most favorite of the Star Trek Universe. The writing was better, the characters and setting more interesting and it was not anywhere near TOS. I say this because I spent many years around folks who complained that TNG was not TOS. They had nowhere to go with DS9. Some were shocked to discover that it had some well written story arcs along with some great individual episodes.
I agree with other posters; watch the entire series. I’d go even farther to say block out time to watch a few episodes at a time if you can’t do one a week. Well worth it.
It took me 20 years to get around to watching DS9 and by the time I was finished all I could think was “what took me so long?”. Now it’s my favorite series and I rewatch it pretty regularly. The one thing that always sticks out is unlike most , with the exception of maybe Voyager, the plot continues to grow on DS9 so you have to watch it in order to see how it plays out. TNG I feel like I can pick and choose episodes as there really isn’t a linear plot line throughout the series.
I hope you write a review once you’re done.
I’d love to read what you think about the character development; especially Quark, Nog, and Odo….and Worf since you know Michal dorn personally.
Please pay close attention to garak. He is the most complex, deep, and interesting recurring character in television history.
I hope you enjoy the show as much as i do.
Hey Wil,
Since you enjoy letting episodes percolate a bit I recommend listening to the missionlog podcast after each episode. They offer some interesting perspectives (and trivia) about the production and the messages in each episode. I usually take them with me on a long run or bike ride.
http://www.missionlogpodcast.com/archive/
BDC
I started watching DS9 about 2 months before Aron died, having maybe watched 2 or 3 episodes over the yrs. Honestly, I loved TNG and nothing was going to replace that. I’m now just finishing season 7 and am sad to be at the end. It IS good Star Trek, if not “traditional” Star Trek. As it turns out when you have more than 1 child, you’ll find enough love in your heart to love ALL of them!
Aron Eisenberg starred in the most moving episode of DS9, as a wounded soldier trying to recover. It broke my heart. I watched it obsessively when it came out, even paying for cable tv so that I’d have better reception, and now I can’t bear to rewatch it because it’s so intense. But, I started rewatching anyway and am seeing new aspects.
“It’s Only A Paper Moon”…
That episode is so well made and performed that it’s actually a little uncomfortable to watch…
That’s a VERY risky thing to do on a TV series, where you live or die by ratings, and making your viewers uneasy by tackling the psychological trauma of an injured soldier and the horror of war isn’t something most shows would be keen on.
This episode pulled no punches: it didn’t portray Nog as a two-dimensional “brave war hero”…that would diminish him and the entire story of the Dominion War.
You don’t always like Nog in this episode. You begin to sympathize with the people around him who start to think he’s becoming self-indulgent and irrational…
When he finally reveals why he’s having so much trouble adjusting, you don’t like yourself for judging him, either.
The episode ends with one of the most profound lines a Star Trek character has ever uttered.
After Nog finally decides to resume his duties, his father asks him if he’s okay, and he answers:
“No…
But I will be.”
Print cannot do it justice. See the episode if you haven’t yet…or see it again if you have.
I envy you, taking these first steps into a new frontier.
TNG was my first (and you never forget your first) but DS9 is where my heart is. It had such an impact on who I am as a person. The spiritual Bajorans, the resolute Cardassians, the insightful Trill, it’s a joy to get to know these new species so intimately.
And for all I love them, I never would have thought my favorite species off all would be the Ferengi. Don’t underestimate them.
I rewatched some DS9 episodes to honor Aron Eisenberg too, and while I enjoyed them, I also was remembered of the frustration I had with DS9, especially in the later seasons that were about war: DS9 offered really nothing new there, other shows and movies had already explored these themes and conflicts about war. Unlike TNG, which provided an environment, characters and stories that were never told before on screen and in movies: TNG showed a world with human characters that was totally alien (!) to the contemporary world of the 1980’s and 90’s (and still is doing so today). DS9 became more and more simply “more of the same” story and character wise, but just having it a Star Trek design slapped onto it. Which I found lame of the writers and producers, because in the end they did it because it made it easier for them to earn their paycheck; TNG made it really hard to earn the paycheck as writers and producers, since it forced everyone to think outside the box (because of the so called “Roddenberry Box”) and I had and have a lot of respect for that, because that takes balls to do that in Hollywood. And I like to watch a TV show that shows me a world that is totally different to the world I live in – and DS9 did not do that and I was missing this meta conflict that TNG had with the real world and DS9 did not have, because it was closer to the contemporary real world. I am always disappointed when I hear writers, producers and even Star Trek consumers bitching and whining about how TNG was so difficult to relate to, just because it was so different to them and the world they live in, which simply says: “I only like what is already like me and does not challenge me” – a pretty narcissistic standpoint, which I find lame and pathetic, to be blunt. If I want conflict within the main characters and stories about war, I don’t need to see Star Trek: There are trillions of other shows and movies, that already do that, and do that much better than DS9 ever did.
It’s so cool that you’re watching DS9 for the first time! I’m sure I echo many other comments by expressing how jealous I am of the experience you’re getting to have right now. I love all the 7-year Treks for their individual charms and strengths, but I have to admit DS9 is my favorite. That said, I think people forget that DS9’s story had its roots all the way back in the middle of TNG. Can’t have one without the other! Cheers to enjoying the rest of the show. 😊
I always have said DS9’s Series Premier is the best one of all Trek series, I’ve never seen other comments that said the same thing until now, so that’s awesome. You are going to love DS9! I looked up Nog’s character with a list of episodes he’s in so I could do my own tribute to Aron. It’s hard to do that without being reminded of story details I may have forgotten but wish to remain forgotten so it is as close to watching for the first time as possible. My condolences on the loss of your friend, Aron. He was very friendly on Twitter & I had a good number of conversations with him there. A lot of other people have posted the same thing, how personable & accessible he was to fans. I miss his making my Twitter feed a better feed.
You are in for a helluva ride! And when it’s over, I don’t doubt you’ll want to get back in line to ride it again, this time from beginning to end with nothing skipped!
I understand the need to focus on certain episodes, but you should go back and watch ep 14 from season one: Progress. A fantastic Kira episode.
I grew up on Star Trek TOS, Loved TNG but initially not thrilled with DS9 being more of a Babylon 5 fan, however I began watching DS9 & found it able to build on TNG & add depth & perspective. Over time Benjamin Sisko is Badass like Kirk & Flawed at the same time with Tons of Humanity. I like how TOS introduces you to Star Fleet & The Federation, TNG Almost Deifies The Federation & how DS9 shows that Not Everybody Likes The Federation including their Own Members & Citizens. Voyager is OK & Enterprise – Sorry I don’t like Prequels. Las Vegas used to have The Star Trek Experience which started on the DS9 Promenade then you are Beamed onto the Enterprise, led to the Bridge & then attacked by Klingons with eventual evacuation leading to a Shuttle & Escape. Pretty Amazing Experience & Ride. I watch TOS, TNG, DS9 & VOYAGER 7Days a week on the H&I Network All series episodes in order every night. 4 hours if Trek per Night, Trekkie Heaven, Geekfest, Comfort Food for the Mind & Soul. DS9 is my All Time Favorite.
This will be a minority opinion, probably:
But consider giving Enterprise another chance. It has such a terrible rep that a lot of fans don’t even bother with it–including me for a long time. And yes, its negative reputation is not entirely undeserved…
However, there’s enough good in it to make it worth a try:
The fourth season is gold…if the entire series had been that good, it would have lasted as long as its predecessors.
Focus on the episodes that expand on well-established Trek species, like Vulcans and Klingons…
And species that were mentioned, but never fleshed out: what they did with the Andorians was brilliant (thanks largely to the inimitable Jeffrey Combs). Even the Tellarites were fun.
Avoid attempts at fan service, like bringing in the Ferengi and the Borg for no particular reason.
And you can pretty much skip the entire third season:
Aliens attack Earth with a miniature Death Star and destroy Florida. Enterprise stops them before they can come back with a bigger Death Star and destroy the whole planet.
That’s basically the whole season…the entire thing could have been covered in a two-parter.
Leave that season out, and it’s a pretty good show overall🙂
You literally had 26 years and couldn’t manage it until he was gone?
Enjoy Wil. The serialized storytelling every genre show does now was already impressively done by DS9. Great as you guys were on TNG most of the stories had a reset button afterward with minimal impact on the leads. DS9 characters were able to grow and evolve while having real repercussions for their actions. The initial couple seasons have a bit of a TNG-like vibe and several familiar faces pop up: Q & Vash, Lursa & B’Tor, Gowron, the bald guy who told you to shut up that one time. Bonus, a character you personally know and are invested in, Worf, you get to see in a whole new context.
Bro, when I heard you hadn’t seen DS9 my surprise quickly gave way to the realization that your post Trek life was full of haters. So, I’m stoked you’re finally watching this amazing show. It’s my favorite Trek. Although I did start with TNG because of LeVar Burton (Reading Rainbow, as I called him) and Whoopi Goldberg, when I watched it, I always thought: “If I lived in the future, I’d be Wesley Crusher, on the bridge like a boss.” I was the top of my class kind of kid. So, to hell with the haters. I’m glad you’ve healed from all that, but you rock brother. Thank you for your part in the Trek universe. I’ll never get to tell Aron Eisenberg anything like that, so whether you read this or not we’ll probably never meet so at least I put it out there. Take care Wil Wheaton, and you enjoy the hell out of the best damn Star Trek show ever. I would watch every episode though. There are a couple I skip, but that’s after having seen them and forming my own opinion.
I too am watching it now for the first time. 4 episodes left to go!!
I also like so many love DS9: while my intro to Trek was with the next generation, such an underrated series, I’d definitely recommend watching them all.
Love how you’re honoring Aron, but this? “Max’s guide tells us to watch the following episodes from S01: The first four, including the two-part pilot, which has the distinction of being the only truly good Trek pilot in the history of the series.” ?!! Really? Discovery’s pilot was not only the best in the franchise, but is also among the best in all TV! They put so much thought and care into Discovery, it’s truly brilliant.
I agree with what others are saying, watch the whole series. And when you finish it you’ll be left sad that it is over and wanting more. This series explores and touches issues that are even more relevant today almost 30 years later, and honestly its aging like a fine wine.
Watch the entire series, as some of the other posters already suggested. I never tire of classic Star Trek. Yes, maybe DS9 tried to find itself during the first few seasons just as TNG did, but I never viewed that as a detriment, on the contrary. If you’re new on a starship or space station, would you just expect things to work out right away? I wouldn’t, and I that’s why I still love the early seasons of DS9 and TNG just as well. I think you still need those early episodes to bond more deeply with the characters so that they really are your best friends by the time of the Dominion War in DS9 or Wolf 359 in TNG. With DS9 it’s even more important because it starts out as a place where you don’t want to be…and then Sisko slowly starts to think of it as home. Even the best writer can’t convey that in a few episodes. Only time can.
I think I’m also saying that you should be more lenient with early TNG. Even when everyone just sat at their station and pushed buttons, you could already see it was a hell of a ship with a hell of a crew.
It’s really sad that Aron left us so early. Hope to see him somewhere out there…
I’ve gone through ds9 at least 8 times. Enjoy the show!
My wife calls me Nagus, if you remember the episode where he is taken and is being carried around in a sack, and all you hear from the sack is this nonsensical kind of humming. I do that subconsciously all the time when ever I’m pretty much doing anything.
I will suddenly hear her say stop Nagusing.
I’ve been a Star Trek fan since the early 1830s. (Don’t ask, it’s complicated.) Out of all the Trek shows EXCEPT that Discovery ‘thing’, DS9 is the only one I could see myself actually living on, living IN, and being on as a cast member in some capacity.
I’m laughing because I’m fairly sure I know what you’re talking about. And if so, that book is on my bookshelf.
I introduced DS9 to my wife(who is not an especially huge Trek fan) a few months ago. She couldn’t stop watching it. It’s truly the best Trek out there, and that’s largely because it dared to explore themes that Roddenberry never would have dared explore. That in conunction with rich, compelling characters really makes it something special. The whole cast is amazing and not one character stands out as someone I didn’t love(or love to hate.)
The serialized format really gives the show a great opportunity the explore the characters as they grow and evolve through the series. Even Nog has a brilliant character arc through later seasons that really adds texture to what would otherwise be a two-dimensional supporting character and comic relief. All of these things are why I find DS9 superior to TNG and sadly it’s magic that hasn’t really been replicated(no pun intended!) since on Trek.
Excited for you! You’re in for a hell of a ride.
I am so happy you found it again. I love ds9 and have recently picked it back up for the same reason. To honor Aron. I met him after his career in ds9 was finished. He embraced me as a friend, Despite only being casual acquaintances from conventions.
Xxoo Will and everyone . we are the bright light that can keep memories alive.
Hold on to your buttcheeks when you get to “In the Pale Moonlight”, one of, if not the best.
I just recently started watching DS9 also, within the last month. Aron’s death hit me especially hard because I’m just now getting to know Nog. I don’t really know WHY I never watched DS9. I started watching TNG when it came on; I was 9 years old. I loved TNG and watched every episode when it aired. Then when DS9 started, I remember watching the first episode and it just didn’t capture me. I was entering adolescence and I think I just wasn’t ready to invest in a whole new group of characters. Then I got busy with life, went in the Air Force and it got left behind. This actually embarrassing because in 1999 I was flying back from Atlanta to California after leave and I struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to me and he said “I’m an actor on Star Trek.” I said, “Oh, really? I love Star Trek, who do you play?” And he said, “I play an alien named Morn on Deep Space Nine.” And I actually had to tell him “Oh, I’m sorry, I never actually watched much DS9 yet. But can I get your autograph anyway? When I get around to watching it it will be cool to have met someone.” So I have Mark Allen Shepherd’s autograph and a funny story, anyway.